Dead or Alive’s newest character is a large-breasted schoolgirl because of course she is

I actually like the Dead or Alive games. They’re a surprisingly deep set of fighting games with a nice emphasis on counterattacking – and the perfect example of the easy-to-play, hard-to-master ethos that makes fighting games fun. It’s a pity that Team Ninja’s forgotten this…or at least fail to capitalise on it, instead choosing to use overt, blatant sexuality instead. Team Ninja’s announced a brand new character for its latest iteration of Dead or Alive 5 – and surprise surprise, it’s a teenage girl with large breasts.

Called Honoka, the pink-haired school girl with the large bosom is said to harbour a “secret power.” It is in no way stereotypical or clichéd stuff at all, and is not some sort of puerile attempt to appeal to base crowd of teenage boys. Nope, not at all. As I’ve pointed out numerous times before, when Dead or Alive 5 was in development Team Ninja promised to rein in the schoolboy sexual appeal, with series producer Yosuke Hayashi saying it was time to move away from the series’ seedy past.

“In the series up to now we focused on some kind of… Sports Illustrated [aesthetic]. Like a magazine for high school kids, with women portrayed in that sense,” he said. “We’ve always had the sex factor in the game; in the past, the female characters had to have big breasts, they had to have scanty dress.”

“We’re trying to focus on the real women that surround us; the voice of a female, the mannerisms. We are being realistic about it,” he said. “We want to show something that’s more high class, that adult males of our generation could look at a woman [character] and be impressed with her as a woman, not just as a pin-up.”

She joins joins Cyborg Raidou as the second new characters in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is set for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on February 17 in North America and February 20 in Europe.

Editor. I'm old, grumpy and more than just a little cynical. One day, I found myself in possession of a NES, and a copy of Super Mario Bros 3. It was that game that made me realise that games were more than just toys to idly while away time - they were capable of being masterpieces. I'm here now, looking for more of those masterpieces.

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